He Tells in Spanish | Say It Right Every Time

Most of the time, “él dice” matches “he tells,” and “él cuenta” fits when he’s sharing the story with details.

“Tell” looks simple in English, yet it covers a lot of ground. You can tell a friend the news, tell a kid to stop, tell a story, tell the truth, tell someone off, or tell on someone. Spanish doesn’t pack all of that into one verb. It splits the work across a few, and that’s why you’ll see different translations depending on what “tell” is doing in the sentence.

This is the fast way to pick the right Spanish line without second-guessing every time. You’ll get the two main choices first, then the common edge cases that pop up in texts, homework, and conversation.

Why English “Tell” Turns Into Several Spanish Verbs

English treats “tell” like a multi-tool. Spanish is more specific. One verb tends to match one job. When the job is “say these words” or “give this message,” Spanish leans on decir. When the job is “recount what happened,” Spanish leans on contar.

So the real question isn’t “What’s the one Spanish word for tell?” It’s “What kind of tell is it?” Once you label the job, the verb choice stops feeling random.

He Tells in Spanish With Clear Context

In everyday Spanish, you’ll use these two most:

• Él dice… for a message, a quote, an opinion, or a short statement.
• Él cuenta… for a story, a play-by-play, gossip with details, or “what happened.”

Both can translate “he tells,” yet they carry different expectations. Dice feels like “here are the words.” Cuenta feels like “settle in, details are coming.”

When “Él dice” fits best

Use él dice when you could swap “tell” with “say” in English and the meaning stays steady.

• He tells me he’s busy. → Él me dice que está ocupado.
• He tells the truth. → Él dice la verdad.
• He tells her “no.” → Él le dice “no”.

If you want a reliable dictionary definition of decir, the RAE definition for “decir” lays out its core senses in Spanish.

When “Él cuenta” fits best

Use él cuenta when “tell” means “narrate” or “recount.” It’s common in “Tell me!” meaning “Tell me the whole thing.”

• He tells a story. → Él cuenta una historia.
• He tells me what happened. → Él me cuenta lo que pasó.
• He tells jokes. → Él cuenta chistes.

The RAE definition for “contar” includes the “to recount” sense, which matches this usage.

Two sentence patterns that cover most needs

These two patterns get you through a lot of real writing and speaking:

• Él me dice que + clause (He tells me that…)
• Él me cuenta + noun / lo que + clause (He tells me… / He tells me what…)

Swap me for te, le, nos, les, and you’ve got “he tells you,” “he tells her,” “he tells us,” and more.

Pronouns That Change Who Gets Told

Spanish often marks the receiver right on the verb with an indirect object pronoun. That’s why “he tells” shows up as me dice, te dice, le dice, and so on.

Quick pronoun list

• me = to me
• te = to you (informal)
• le = to him / to her / to you (formal)
• nos = to us
• les = to them / to you all

That means “he tells her the truth” is él le dice la verdad. “He tells her what happened” is él le cuenta lo que pasó.

Two common structures with “decir”

You’ll see decir used with a direct quote or with que:

• Él dice: “No puedo”.
• Él dice que no puede.

The second form is the one you’ll use constantly for reported speech.

“Contar” with “lo que” for “what happened”

Spanish likes lo que for “what,” and it pairs cleanly with contar when the point is the full account:

• Él me cuenta lo que pasó.
• Él nos cuenta lo que vio.

That structure sets up details. It feels natural in Spanish in the same places English uses “tell me what happened.”

Picking The Right Verb For Common “Tell” Meanings

Now match the English intent to a Spanish choice. The aim is speed with good accuracy, not memorizing a giant list.

One spot trips learners a lot: “tell someone to do something.” In English it looks like regular “tell,” yet it acts like a command. Spanish shows that difference clearly.

Table: “He tells” meanings and the best Spanish line

English intent	Spanish verb	Ready-to-use pattern
He tells me he’s tired	él me dice	Él me dice que está cansado.
He tells her the truth	él le dice	Él le dice la verdad.
He tells a story	él cuenta	Él cuenta una historia.
He tells me what happened	él me cuenta	Él me cuenta lo que pasó.
He tells him to call	él le dice	Él le dice que llame.
He tells her not to go	él le dice	Él le dice que no vaya.
He tells on his brother	él lo delata	Él delata a su hermano.
He tells me to be careful	él me advierte	Él me advierte que tenga cuidado.
He tells us the rules	él nos explica	Él nos explica las reglas.

If you like seeing “tell” mapped to several Spanish options with sample sentences, the WordReference “tell” dictionary page is a helpful cross-check when you’re writing.

How To Say “Tell Someone To…” In Spanish

English hides the grammar in “tell him to…” Spanish usually shows it with decir + que and the subjunctive.

Pattern: Decir + pronoun + que + subjunctive

Use this when the “tell” is a request or order:

• He tells me to wait. → Él me dice que espere.
• He tells her to leave. → Él le dice que se vaya.
• He tells them not to speak. → Él les dice que no hablen.

That subjunctive form signals it’s not a plain statement. It’s a push for someone to do something.

Pattern: Decir + (a alguien) + que + indicative

Use this when it’s just a statement of information:

• He tells me that he’s fine. → Él me dice que está bien.
• He tells her that the store is closed. → Él le dice que la tienda está cerrada.

Both patterns use que. The difference is the meaning: command vs statement.

Decir Vs Contar Without Second-Guessing

When you freeze, ask a single question: “Is he delivering a message, or giving the full account?” Message points to decir. Full account points to contar.

Try this quick mental swap: replace “tell” with “tell the whole story.” If the sentence still feels right, contar is a strong pick. If it feels weird, go with decir.

Same English line, different feel

• No me digas eso. = Don’t say that to me.
• No me cuentes eso. = Don’t get into that story with me.

Both can translate “Don’t tell me that,” yet the tone shifts. One rejects the words. The other rejects the details.

Special “Tell” Uses That Don’t Translate With Decir Or Contar

Some English “tell” phrases don’t mean “say” or “recount” at all. Spanish uses other verbs or set phrases for them. These show up a lot in real English, so it’s worth getting them straight.

“Tell time”

“Tell time” means reading a clock. In Spanish you’ll say saber la hora or talk about reading the clock:

• He can tell time. → Él sabe la hora.
• He can’t tell time yet. → Todavía no sabe la hora.

“Tell the difference / tell apart”

This meaning is about distinguishing. Spanish often uses distinguir or notar la diferencia:

• He can tell the difference. → Él distingue la diferencia. / Él nota la diferencia.
• He can’t tell them apart. → No puede distinguirlos.

“Tell on someone”

This is reporting someone’s bad behavior. Spanish uses verbs like delatar or a phrase with acusarlo:

• He tells on his brother. → Él delata a su hermano.

“Tell a lie”

English says “tell a lie.” Spanish usually says mentir:

• He tells a lie. → Él miente.
• He never tells lies. → Él nunca miente.

“Tell someone off”

This is scolding. Spanish uses regañar or reprender depending on tone:

• He tells me off. → Él me regaña.

Verb Forms You’ll See All The Time

You don’t need every tense to get “he tells” right, yet a few forms come up constantly in reading and conversation. Knowing them helps you recognize what’s happening fast.

SpanishDict keeps a clear chart for irregular decir. If you want to check a form quickly, this decir conjugation chart is useful for the forms below.

Table: “He tells / he told” forms at a glance

English meaning	Decir	Contar
He tells / says (present)	él dice	él cuenta
He was telling (background action)	él decía	él contaba
He told (one finished action)	él dijo	él contó
He has told	él ha dicho	él ha contado
He will tell	él dirá	él contará
He would tell	él diría	él contaría

Natural Sentence Starters You Can Reuse

When you’re writing, the hardest part can be starting the sentence. These starters keep things smooth. Swap the pronoun to match the receiver.

Starters with decir

• Él me dice que…
• Él te dice que…
• Él le dice que…
• Él dice que…
• Él dice la verdad cuando…

Starters with contar

• Él me cuenta que…
• Él me cuenta lo que…
• Él cuenta una historia sobre…
• Él cuenta cómo…

If you’re unsure which one to pick, start with dice when it’s short, and cuenta when you expect a longer explanation. You’ll be right most of the time, and you’ll sound natural doing it.

Fast Self-Check Before You Hit Send

Use this mini checklist when you’re turning an English line into Spanish:

1. Is it a message or direct words? Choose dice.
2. Is it the full account with details? Choose cuenta.
3. Is it “tell someone to do something”? Use dice que + subjunctive.
4. Is it a set phrase like “tell time” or “tell apart”? Use saber la hora or distinguir, not decir.

With that, you can translate “he tells” cleanly in most real situations, not just in textbook sentences.